Spicy cumin chicken wings

I love chicken wings and am so glad that my library has tons of recipes for them from all around the world. Chicken wings are the perfect finger food: small bites packed with flavour, moist if made well, and delicious.

These wings are packed with flavour from the Sichuan peppercorns and spices. They are moist and tender, and the scallion oil adds an extra pop of flavour. This is an unusual recipe, as the scallion oil is added at the end, but it does make the dish pop with flavour. The spice grows with time, numbing your palate and making you sweat. These wings definitely need a glass or two of beer handy.

Xi'an Famous Foods, also known as XFF, is a chain of casual restaurants in New York with three locations. The restaurant was started by Jason Wang who realized that he missed the traditional food from the Xi'an region in Western China and that there were others like him. However, although casual the recipes from this cookbook are amazing, including these chicken wings. The flavours stay true to their origins, popping with spices and chillies.

For more recipes from the cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:

1 scallion, finely sliced and crushed with a pestle

1 teaspoon ginger paste

3-4 tablespoons water

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed

1 petal star anise, lightly crushed

2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine

1 lb chicken wings

For the baste:

1 portion green scallion oil, recipe follows:

1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds

2 teaspoons chilli powder

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed

For the green scallion oil:

3 scallions, finely sliced

1/4 onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon ginger paste

3 sprigs cilantro, minced

6 tablespoons oil

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade well. Marinate the chicken wings in the marinade ingredients for at least 2 hours. I like to start marinating the wings in the morning if I plan on having them for dinner.

For the green scallion oil, heat the oil and add the remaining ingredients. Fry on low heat till the onions are golden. Take off the heat and strain the oil if desired. I, however, do not strain the oil.

Mix all the ingredients for the baste into the green scallion oil. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375° F, or heat the grill.

Grill the chicken wings for about 5 minutes per side till cooked through. Baste the wings with the sauce, then flip and cook for an additional 1 minute. Baste and grill for a further minute. Repeat till the base is finished.

To roast the wings, layer them on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning them once during the cooking process. Baste the wings with the sauce and bake for an additional 3 minutes per side. Repeat till the baste is finished and you have charred wings.

Serve immediately.